Agaricus blazei

Clinical summary

 

Agaricus blazei is an edible mushroom native to Brazil and cultivated in Japan for its medicinal uses. It has been used to treat arteriosclerosis, hepatitis, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, dermatitis, and cancer. In vitro experiments and studies done in mice have shown that Agaricus has immunomodulatory, antitumor, and antimutagenic properties. The polysaccharides and anti-angiogenic compounds present in Agaricus are thought to be responsible for its antitumor properties. Such effects are thought to be exerted by immunopotentiation or direct inhibition of angiogenesis. A recent randomized study showed that oral administration of Agaricus extract improved the natural killer cell activity and quality of life in gynecological cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. However, more studies are needed to confirm these observations. There are limited data from in vitro and animal studies suggesting that Agaricus also has antidiabetic effect. Due to its immunopotentiating effects, Agaricus can potentially interfere with immunomodulating drugs although such interactions have not been studied.

 

Purported uses

• Arteriosclerosis

• Cancer treatment

• Diabetes

• Hepatitis

• Hyperlipidemia

• Stimulant

 

Mechanism of Action

 

A major constituent of Agaricus, ergosterol, was found to inhibit tumor growth in mice via direct inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis. Other studies demonstrated that polysaccharides present in Agaricus extract caused activation of macrophages  or natural killer cells  and induced cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity in tumor-bearing mice. Both aqueous and organic extracts of Agaricus offered protection to cells exposed to methyl methanesulphonate, a mutagenic agent. The stimulus produced by linoleic acid on β DNA polymerase, an enzyme involved in repair mechanism following exposure of DNA to alkylating agents, is thought responsible for such an effect.